If

The Word of the Week is If on an episode of The Mal Thursday Show that is rife with possibilities, and great rock 'n' roll records. Featuring the world premiere of Mal Thursday Quintet's "If 6 Was 5" from our upcoming MODS & GODS LP on Teen Sound. Presented in Ultrasonic Stereophonic and Living Monophonic Sound. Originally broadcast 17 April 2025.

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Playlist:
Mal Thursday Quintet: If 6 Was 5
The Monotones: If You Can't Give Me All
Them: If You and I Could Be As Two
Dave Clark Five: Catch Us If You Can
The Hollies: If I Needed Someone (mono)
The Rolling Stones: If You Need Me (BBC)
The Zombies: If It Don't Work Out
Manfred Mann: If You Gotta Go, Go Now
Gary Walker & The Rain: If You Don't Come Back
The Small Faces: If I Were a Carpenter (BBC)
Billy Preston: If I Had a Hammer (bed)
The Guess Who: If You Don't Want Me
The Gents: If You Don't Come Back
Thor's Hammer: If You Knew
The Outsiders: If You Dont Treat Me Right
The Jay Jays: Come Back If You Dare
Travis Pike's Tea Party: If I Didn't Love You Girl
The Motifs: If I Gave You Love
The Hustlers: If You Try
The Byrds: If You're Gone (mono)
The Beau Brummels: That's If You Want Me to
The Scavengers: But If You're Happy
Jimi Hendrix Experience: If 6 Was 9
Unknown Group: Got Love If You Want It
West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band: If You Want This Love
The Trademarks: If I Was Gone
The Will-o-Bees: If You're Looking for Honey
The Cobras: If I Can't Believe Her
Lawson & Four More: If You Want Me You Can Find Me
The Gordian Knot: If Only I Could Fly
The Purple Canteen: If You Like It That Way (bed)

Mal Thursday's Texas Tyme Machine:
The Warlocks: If You Really Want Me to Stay
Bubble Puppy: If I Had a Reason
Sir Douglas Quintet: If You Really Want Me to, I'll Go
Roky Erickson: If You Have Ghosts
The Blind Owls: If They Say

The GTVs: Cry If You Want to
The Muffs: You Can Cry If You Want to
The Bristols: If You've Got Troubles
The Embrooks: You Can If You Want
The Higher State: If We Don't Realise
The Brood: See If I Care
Lyres: If You Want My Love
Muck & the Mires: If You Knew
Chris Stamey & The DBs: If and When

Bonus Tracks:
The Beatles: If I Needed Someone (mono)
The Rolling Stones: If You Can't Rock Me (alt mix)
The Kinks: Got Love If You Want It (mono)
The Mickey Finn: If I Had You
Tim Hardin: If I Was a Carpenter
The Ambertones: If I Do
The Bends: If It's All the Same to You
The Satelliters: If I Try
The Dirtbombs: If You Can Want
The Sound Reasons: If I Cared
T. Tex Edwards: If Looks Could Kill
Moby Grape: Naked If I Want to

The Mal Thursday Quintet: If 6 Was 5 LP

On this day in 2021, Chunk Archives Recordings released If 6 Was 5 by The Mal Thursday Quintet, the first album from Mal's multi-regional garage rock supergroup. It is now available as a limited edition, 180 gram vinyl LP. The album features all three chapters of The Quintet: the O.G. New England chapter with Frank Padellaro (King Radio, Scud Mountain Boys), Greg Saulmon (The Glad Machine), and Brian T. Marchese (Aloha Steamtrain, Mind Left Body); The Northwest Chapter, better known as The Reverberations, whose prime mover Dave Berkham has since added guitar to such singles as "High Flying Bird" and co-written and produced "A Smell of Honey, A Swallow of Brine!"; and the Texas Chapter, featuring all-time greats Augie Meyers (Sir Douglas Quintet, Texas Tornados, Bob Dylan, et al.), Hunt Sales (Tin Machine, Iggy Pop, Todd Rundgren, et al.), and Tjarko Jeen (Ronnie Dawson, Modern Don Juans). Mal's longtime collaborator Bob Medley (a.k.a. Robert Sherwood) appears with all three chapters, playing bass, organ, harpsichord, piano, tambourine, and backing vocals. 

Produced by The Glimmer Quints. Recorded by Matt Parmenter at Ice Cream Factory Studio and Joe Carroll at Treehouse Productions, Austin, Texas; Dave Berkham at The Reverb Chamber, Portland, Oregon; Robert V. Ives at 13th Floor Music Lounge, Florence, Massachusetts; and Mark Alan Miller at Sonelab, Easthampton, Massachusetts. Mixed by Matt Parmenter at Ice Cream Factory. Mastered by Pete Weiss at Jade Cow Audio Post-Production Sevices, Somerville, Massachusetts. 

Side One:
1. I Gotta Be Me [R. Hirth]
2. Don't Want You Either [M. Thursday]
3. Joke's on Me (Medley-Thursday)
4. Rotting [S. Yusim]
5. O Lucky Man! [A. Price]
6. Takin' Over [M. Thursday]
7. Once Upon a Time (in Your Mind) [Medley-Thursday]

Side Two:
1. Gilligans Wake [M. Thursday]
2. The Other Side of This Life [F. Neil]
3. Hey Caffeina (feat. Tamara Mack) [Medley-Thursday]
4. Lady in a Cage [Medley-Thursday]

"If 6 Was 5 is a musical odyssey through biker-rock, psychedelia, freakbeat, and swagger-pop." -- Pete Weiss

"An instant classic!" -- Chris Horne, Tiger Bomb, The Brood

"It rocks!" -- Joe Nick Patoski, Texas Music Hour of Power

"HUGE fan. Always pure, raw, delicious." -- Flangeleena, Thee Girl Fridays

"Beyond fantastico...Dependably ginchy." -- Heather Drain

"Audaciously rocking and enormously funny." -- LP Jones

"More of the same garage rock revivalism I’ve come to expect from this crew. They stick to the script and do what they do." -- Carolyn Keddy, Maximum RockNRoll

"The greatest rock n' roll record of the 21st century!" -- Mal Thursday

 Get the LP at Bandcamp (also on Ebay). And dig the Quintet's most recent release, the Kitten with a Whip EP, also on Bandcamp.